Pro-life campaigners have expressed their disappointment after a ruling by the UK Supreme Court upheld exclusion zones around abortion facilities in Northern Ireland.
Provisions in the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill make it illegal to pray, even silently, offer leaflets with information about alternatives to abortion, and engage in peaceful protest within 100m of abortion clinics in the province.
The UK Supreme Court was asked to review the validity of the Northern Irish government's ban after Attorney General Dame Brenda King argued that it conflicts with the right to protest.
The ruling by the court on Wednesday allows the Northern Irish government to move ahead with the ban.
Belfast-based pro-life group Precious Life said the ruling was "a travesty of justice" and a "threat to everyone's rights to free speech".
It plans to work on the creation of 'safe zones' for unborn babies and their mothers throughout Northern Ireland in light of the ruling.
"The Supreme Court ruling to allow Abortion Zones in Northern Ireland will now be used to ban all pro-life presence outside abortion centres across the UK and Ireland," it said.
"This court ruling also has serious implication for the rights to free speech and assembly of all people. If pro-life vigils can be banned and criminalised, then public speech, assembly or protest on any other issue can also be banned and criminalised.
"Freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly and association are fundamental human rights, and must be upheld."
Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said that the ban will leave pro-lifers at risk of "unjust" arrest and prosecution.
He said he was "disappointed" by the ruling "which fails to protect the basic freedoms to pray or to offer help to women who may want to know about practical support available to avoid abortion".
"Peaceful presence, mere conversation, quiet or silent prayer – these activities should never be criminalised in a democratic society like the UK," he said.
"The criminalisation of any kind of 'influencing' is vague, uncertain and reduces the threshold of criminality to an impermissibly low level.
"Northern Ireland's broadly drafted law hands arbitrary power to police officers, with the inevitable consequence being the unjust arrest and prosecution of those expressing pro-life views, even though such views are protected under domestic and international human rights law."
